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'I'm still a social worker'

Arihia Bennett (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) has been the chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu since 2012. Here she reflects on her work and her life, as told to Kevin Norquay.Being in this role, one needs to come with some capability, and it’s the fusion of heart and head that really matters when you are leading a whānau of more than 78,000 members – especially when the end goal is all about intergenerational wellbeing.As a child I was one of five tamariki and then later as a...

Mātauranga Māori on display

Karanga and mihi were on display at the Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast where thousands gathered to experience the 16-day event.The festival provides locals and visitors a range of events and art displays including live music, pop-up art installations, exhibitions, outdoor film programmes, street parties and theatre.Hine Ipurangi (Ngāti Kahugnunu) represented Ngāi Māori and performed alongside tangata whenua.Link to article: Mātauranga Māori on display at Gold Coast’s Bleach Festiv...

Dismissed youth worker wins 'record' settlement of $100k,

A youth worker who was wrongly dismissed from a Christchurch detention centre and will receive a “record” financial settlement should have been better supported by Oranga Tamariki, says the union that helped him win his appeal.Stephen Baillie was fired from Rolleston’s Te Puna Wai o Tuhinapo Youth Justice Residence in September 2021 after it was alleged he behaved aggressively towards a resident, including raising a fist and unnecessarily restraining the young person.His claim for unfair d...

Little progress

There appears to have been little or no progress on setting up a specialised Māori birthing unit in Hawke's Bay, a key recommendation of a critical review into racial discrimination in the region's maternity services.A review into how Hawke's Bay Hospital treats Māori whānau in maternity care was commissioned after concerns were raised over the hospital's treatment of Māori, following a highly publicised uplift of a child in 2019.The review was released publicly in June.Some whānau said the...

How people and businesses incorporate maramataka Māori

The Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907 forced it underground, but now it's back and thriving and it's open to Māori and non-Māori alike.One of the most popular strands is maramataka Māori. It's best known as the Māori lunar calendar and is essentially an environmental calendar.Individuals and businesses are incorporating it into their daily lives to better connect with their environment and plan ahead for the days that are better suited for certain activities.Mother of twins Ayla Hoeta is one o...

Anthony Hopkins celebrates 47 years

Anthony Hopkins celebrated a big milestone on Thursday as marked 47 years of sobriety. The Oscar-winning actor reflected on his battle with alcoholism in an inspiring video message and urged people to seek help if they are struggling. Hopkins, who turns 85 on Saturday, said getting sober saved his life."I'm celebrating 47 years today of sobriety," the acclaimed actor began. "This is a message not meant to be heavy, but I hope helpful. I am a recovering alcoholic. And to you out there — I know ...

Earthworks allegedly destroy

It’s one of Te Hiku o Te Ika’s [the Far North] most significant pā sites, but thanks to recent earthworks, it has now allegedly been destroyed.Just over two years ago, Valentina Trustees Ltd purchased 70 hectares of land (stretching from the Hihi Peninsula to the west of Taemaro) containing the historical, cultural, political and spiritually significant Puketakahia Pā kainga site on Maunga [Mount] Whakaangi in Takerau Bay.The maunga is said to hold more than 136 Māori sites of significanc...

University Of Auckland Professor’s Research

A professor of philosophy in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Auckland, Dr Mulgan is the 2022 recipient of the Humanities Aronui Medal from the Royal Society Te Apārangi.He says thinking about how we can extend current ethical thinking, which focuses on what we owe to one another, to cover the many new ways in which we can influence the lives of future people involves “fascinating philosophical puzzles” driven by the fact that the very existence and identity of future people depend ...

ISS captures Te Waipounamu

The ISS captures a glorious and virtually cloud-free view of Te Waipounamu/South Island from the west coast. Video / ISS AboveLink to video: ISS captures Te Waipounamu from above - NZ Herald...

Māori music is hitting the mainstream

Māori music is everywhere. It’s on airplanes, at the café, in the gym, at your local supermarket, in your earpods, all over Instagram and TikTok. It’s not by chance, either. Long carried by the Iwi Radio Network, waiata reo Māori have made a reinvigorated transition into mainstream consciousness with the support of a strategic campaign led by master orchestrator and visionary, Dame Hinewehi Mohi (Ngāti Kahungunu, Tūhoe).Passionate about growing the repertoire of waiata reo Māori, ...

Annual drowning figures

New Zealand has hit its worst annual drowning rate in a decade – with three days of the year left.Provisional statistics from Water Safety New Zealand show 91 preventable drownings in 2022.Recent deaths include a 69-year-old American tourist who was found unresponsive after snorkelling at popular north Auckland beach Goat Island on Wednesday.Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and the incident will be referred to the coroner, a police spokesperson said.Link to video and article: Annu...

Is it appropriate to sell kākahu

The sight of a traditional Māori kākahu (cloak) being sold in a tourist souvenir shop “chafes a bit”, one university professor says.Two styles of kākahu, made out of feathers, were on display in the shop window of Christchurch’s At the Square this week, and sell for $400 each.The owner of the central Christchurch shop refused to answer questions about the traditional cloaks but said they were not purchased from iwi. A sales assistant in the shop said they were made in Rotorua.Māori kā...

Seven rescues in a week leave Hawke’s Bay lifesavers

Hawke’s Bay surf lifesavers are wary of a new year rush on beaches after a busy first week of the season saw them conduct seven rescues on beaches south of Cape Kidnappers.All seven rescues from Christmas Eve to Thursday were at monitored sites at Waimārama and Ocean Beach, while the three other sites Waipatiki, Westshore and Ahuriri Beach have yet to have any significant dramas.Brendon Hamilton-Gibbs, Surf Life Saving regional guard supervisor for Hawke’s Bay, said as well as the rescues, ...

Documentary follows four whānau

A documentary project has been following the lives of four Maori children since they were born in 2000.The Whānau documentary series first broadcast 22 years ago when the four babies were born.It revisited them at ages seven and 14, and now the latest installment meets the cohort as they turn 21. Whānau is the brain-child of veteran TV producer Kay Ellmers, who was fed-up with the negative representation of Maori young people in mainstream media.She speaks to Kathryn along with one o...

Transliteration and

Tomorrow being Christmas Day, it might be appropriate to wish readers “Meri Kirihimete” – and follow this up with some comment.“Meri Kirihimete” of course, is a transliteration of English words.Transliterating means endeavouring to replicate the sounds of one language in the sound-system of another – and consideration of this example offers an opportunity for reviewing the basics of the sound-system of te reo.Link to article: Transliteration and the sound-system of te reo | Stuf...

Study to investigate importance of Mātauranga Māori

A study in mid-2023 is exploring the biosecurity decision-making processes aligned with Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles, cultural values and mātauranga.The study’s findings will be used to consider ways to improve cultural decision making so that “Māori values and mātauranga can be carefully implemented in a robust, consistent and meaningful way”, says University of Canterbury senior lecturer Sascha Mueller.“Mātauranga can provide valuable insights when meeting biosecurity challenges...

Too many Māori and Asian people are drowning –

With summer here, families and tourists will flock to New Zealand's beaches, rivers and lakes to paddle, swim, surf, fish, boat and kayak. But despite our love of the water, New Zealanders have a terrible record of drowning deaths.Last summer was the worst year for drownings in a decade. Our ten-year average beach and coastal drowning rate is 44 percent per capita higher than Australia's. According to Water Safety NZ chief executive Daniel Gerrard, "Drowning is the leading cause of recreational ...

The tragedy of being Māori

My family are the only Māori in South Taranaki who can’t sing. Perhaps there’s a gene we’re missing or our tongues are too fat for our mouths. Either way, long drives have always been a problem. Here is how the public has described Carpool Karaoke with the Ngarewas: “Couldn’t tell what was them or their worn brake pads.”“I felt like Beyonce by comparison.”“The audible equivalent of stepping on glass.”Waiata is a significant part of Māori culture. Whether sharing kai in...

NYE:

Police in Wanaka have bought in a rugby giant to hammer home the message of keeping young people safe this New Year’s Eve.Sir Steve Hansen has fronted a video targeting teenagers from Christchurch secondary schools in an effort to reduce the amount of alcohol-related harm experienced in Wanaka over the New Year period.In the past few years, hundreds of Christchurch teenagers have converged on the town to ring in the new year, and with that has come more alcohol-related harm.Many of the inciden...

Kōrero is key to learning te reo,

For mana wahine and reo expert Pānia Papa (Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta), the journey of te reo Māori revitalisation has paralleled her life experience.Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei.Over the past 30 years, Papa has been a television presenter, language consultant, language teacher, curriculum and resource developer, adult performing group leader, translator and language strategy and education programm...

Vandals destroy indigenous

The indigenous art in the Koonalada Caves in Australia has been destroyed by vandals.The art dates back 22,000 years and is sacred to the First Nations people of Australia.News.com.au reported the people who destroyed the art, allegedly dug under a steel gate earlier in the year and destroyed a section of the finger-marked cave art at the heritage site.Link to video and article: Vandals destroy indigenous 22,000-year-old Australian cave art | Newshub...

Te Urewera hut case

The Tūhoe settlement entity, Te Uru Taumatua, says responding to a High Court injunction to stop the demolition of Te Urewera huts may cost $200,000.On November 9 the High Court at Rotorua ordered an immediate halt to the destruction of 48 huts following an application by Wharenui Clyde Tuna of Tūhoe, who was concerned about the loss of access to use the huts “as a base for food gathering, recreational and cultural purposes”. He said Te Uru Taumatua failed to consult on its plan.Justice Ma...

2022 in review:

He ao hou, he ao hangarau. This year has seen a strong presence of digital elements infused within our Te Karere stories.Link to videos: 2022 in review: Kaupapa Māori hit big online (1news.co.nz)...

Oranga Tamariki,

longtime Oranga Tamariki employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, explains why she could no longer work for the state child protection agency and says despite being well-funded, the money is not being used where it’s needed most.I have spent more than half of my life working for the government, beginning with the Department of Social Welfare in 1980. I left Oranga Tamariki this year when I found I could no longer have my integrity as a social worker compromised by the organisation.I have exte...

2022 in Review:

TVNZ's Te Karere takes a look at some of the major issues in Te Ao Māori and how they made a significant difference for Māori.Te Aka Whai Ora is bornThis year saw a major shake-up in the country's health system.Twenty District Health Boards were amalgamated into one and the Māori Health Authority, known as Te Aka Whai Ora, was established.Chair Tipa Mahuta said an authority like this has been a goal for Te Ao Māori for a very long time.“Kua pau te kotahi rau tau tātau e whai ake i te hauo...